Category: Elise

Donald Fagen | Tomorrow’s Girls

In 1993, Steely Dan‘s co-writer / keyboardist / lead vocalist Donald Fagen released Kamakiriad, his second solo album, which later garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Album. The album featured the retro-futuristic track “Tomorrow’s Girls.” After Verse 2 and Chorus 2, the bridge starts with a brief, sunny G major bridge (2:00) before a gritty guitar riff marks the return of the original key of Bb minor at Verse 3 (2:44).

The Flaming Lips | Do You Realize

Ranked #31 on Rolling Stone‘s 100 Best Songs of the 2000s, The Flaming Lips‘ “Do You Realize?” (2002) features a rather unorthodox modulation from 2:25 – 2:42 before reverting to the original key.

The Guardian reports on The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne’s process in bringing the song into being: “It wasn’t too far into making the album that ‘Do You Realize??’ emerged. Steven Drozd, our guitarist, liked the line: ‘Everyone you know someday will die.’ You don’t really know where the song is going until that point. There’s storytelling and it has wisdom, romance, and heartache. It’s gentle but not mellow and has elements of propulsion and triumph even though it’s lazy and sad at the same time. It also benefits from not knowing it’s going to be an important song. That’s the best thing about it. The ‘1, 2, 3, 4’ at the beginning is like the laughter at the end of ‘Within You Without You’ on the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Anything we could do to lift the song and deliver a great but not heavy message.”

Lisa Loeb | Bring Me Up

The first musical artist to have a #1 hit (Stay / “I Missed You”) without the benefit of a contract with a record label, Lisa Loeb has gone on to release many other distinctive tunes. There’s a modulation in “Bring Me Up” (2002) during the bridge (2:10 to 2:39); then the tune reverts to its original key on its verse-based outro.

George Benson | 20/20

Shape-shifting guitarist/vocalist George Benson, a Pittsburgh native, had a string of hits in the 1970s and 1980s, pulling from his 36 albums to date. “20/20” (1984) made a splash on three charts: #45/Pop, #20/R&B, and #3/Jazz.

The tune features a bridge with plenty of compound chords (1:50 – 2:25) which remains in the original key. The third verse (2:25) hits with a direct modulation, followed by Benson’s effortless duet combination of guitar and wordless vocals.

Pat Metheny | A Map of the World

Like much of his work, guitarist / composer Pat Metheny‘s 1999 soundtrack release for the film Map of the World features quickly shifting, sometimes nearly constant key-of-the-moment passages. The track features two main sections, each played twice. Section 1 (0:00 and 2:30) pivots between G major and E minor (among others), while section 2 (1:13 and 3:41) is loosely built around A major. At 5:12, there’s a brief return to section 1’s tonality for the outro.

Robert Palmer | Know By Now

Unlike his huge 1980s hits, pop/soul artist Robert Palmer‘s 1994 release “Know By Now” was more subtle than flashy. It reached only #25 in the UK and garnered next to no airplay in the US. Sadly, in 2003, Palmer died of a heart attack at the age of only 54. The track, which Billboard magazine reviewed as “stick(ing) to the brain after one spin,” features key changes at almost every turn. The prominent placement of the word “honey” in the lyrics (1:35, etc.) seems to be a nod to the host album’s title.

Palmer told The Canadian Press in 1994: “I happen to think that it is probably the best song I’ve written for many reasons – first of all, it’s three songs in one, in that each piece of it was a separate inspiration at a different time, not merely a reason to get from A to C.”

0:00 C# Major (intro, after a brief F# Minor key of the moment)
0:38 E Minor (verse)
1:11 C# Major (pre-chorus)
1:36 F# Minor (chorus)
1:58 E Minor (verse)
2:30 C# Major (pre-chorus)
2:55 F# Minor (chorus to end)

The Foundations | Build Me Up, Buttercup

The Foundations released their hit “Build Me Up, Buttercup” in 1968; it reached #1 in the US, Canada, and Australia. It’s often played during the 7th inning stretch during Los Angeles Angels games. The key change is at the tail end of this short single (2:45), just as the tune begins its fade-out.

Lenny Kravitz | It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over

Lenny Kravitz‘s soulful pop release “It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over” (1991) featured the Phenix Horns from Earth, Wind & Fire. According to a 2000 interview with VivaMusic.com, Kravitz said “That song just came out one day, and I knew it had a classic vibe, and still love that song very much today.” There’s a modulation during the bridge (2:02 – 2:30).